Honors Procedures – Economics Department

Macalester’s economics Honors program provides students the opportunity to bring together all of the skills they have developed in their major and apply them towards a year-long research project. The honors program includes a fall-semester seminar and a community defense in the spring semester. Students graduate with honors status upon successful defense of the honors project prior to graduation. Along the way students have the opportunity to present their work at national conferences and submit their paper for competitive awards.

The Economics Department encourages juniors with major project interests to consult with faculty members about applying for the senior Honors program in the spring of their junior year. Students must meet the GPA requirements to qualify for this program. The topic should be chosen to demonstrate a broad and deep understanding of the chosen subject area.

II. Timeline and Institutional Procedures

These deadlines are intended to facilitate progress toward a successful Honors paper. Please refer to college honors calendar for the updated and specific timeline. December graduates must arrange suitable deadlines one semester earlier on an individual basis.

Application to Department: April of junior year, at least two weeks before registration for fall

Proposal Defense: beginning of fall semester in senior year (Students studying away in spring of the junior year may still enter the honors program at this point)

Taking honors seminar: fall semester in senior year

Honors draft submitted to supervisor and other member of Honors committee: by the end of fall

Final abstract due and departmental selection of Honors committee: in the middle of spring

Final paper due for readers: first Monday in April in senior year

Final Oral evaluation: late April in senior year

Library copy of paper due, with all corrections, as specified by the Honors committee, due: Last day of spring semester classes

III. Qualification and Application

To be accepted into the Honors Program in the Economics major, a student must satisfy the following:

A minimum College grade point average of 3.3.

The student must have demonstrated the discipline, skills, and the depth of understanding necessary for successful completion of an Honors Project.

Have an advisor who agrees to supervise the project

All juniors, including those who are studying away in the spring term, must indicate their interest in pursuing a senior Honors project by filing a project proposal with the proposed faculty supervisor by at least two weeks before registration for fall semester begins in the spring of the junior year. We highly recommend that students studying away during spring of the junior year draft their proposal in consultation with their proposed Honors supervisor before leaving campus.

The proposal consists of a statement of your question and a one-page description of your view of the project, possibly including some academic references and/or description of the data you might analyze. Two copies of the proposal are submitted: one to the professor teaching the honors seminar in the following fall and the other to the professor with whom you would like to work. Decisions will be made by the beginning of fall registration in the spring of the junior year so that candidates will know before registration if they should sign up for the Econ 444: The Honors Seminar. Accepted candidates are expected to sign up for and participate in the Honors Seminar.

IV. Honors Seminar

This course helps you complete a draft of your honors thesis. The course provides support for writing, research methods, and data analysis. Honors students will also need to give short overviews of their progress throughout the seminar.

V. Final Evaluation

Successful completion of the Honors Project requires the approval of the student’s Honors Committee. The Honors Committee consists of the faculty supervisor, and two faculty reviewers. All committee members must sign the Project Completion Form for the project to be approved.

An Honors Project culminates in the following three artifacts.

An Honors paper and abstract.

A public presentation of the work, in a venue approved by the department.

An oral examination on the substance of the honors project. This examination will involve the honors student, the Honors Committee, and interested members of the Macalester community. This event will include presentation and discussion of the honors material. The oral examination will take place late April.